Device for recovering pipe from wells



Aug. 28, 1962 J. MOCLINTON DEVICE FOR RECOVERING PIPE FROM WELLS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 21, 1958 INVENTOR ATTORNEY John Ma (/10 for? Aug. 28, 1962 J. MCCLINTON DEVICE FOR RECOVERING PIPE FROM WELLS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 21, 1958 INVENTOR.

L/O/7/7 Mc C///7 fan ATTORNEY United States Patent Office 3,fil,254 Patented Aug. 28, 1962 3,051,254 DEVICE FOR RECOVERING PIPE FROM WELLS John McClinton, 8603 Glenaire, Houston, Tex. Filed July 21, 1958, Ser. No. 749,833 4 Claims. c1. 175 2s7 This invention relates to fishing tools, and more particularly to apparatus for recovering pipe from wells and which is designed to be readily connected to a pipe which is laterally displaced or eccentrically positioned in a well bore.

The invention finds particular application in connection with drilling and production of oil and gas Wells for the recovery of disconnected or lost pipe, such as drill pipe or tubing in such wells.

In the drilling and production of oil and gas wells, the bores of such wells usually deviate somewhat from the vertical and at times are curved throughout substantial portions of the depth of the well. Laterally widened portions are also frequently formed in the bores of such wells due to cavitation or washing away of relatively soft portions of the formation, so that upon disconnection or breaking of the drill pipe or tubing in the bore the upper end of the portion of the pipe which remains in the well is laterally displaced from the center of the bore beneath some portion of the formation which extends laterally over said upper end. Under these conditions the recovery of the lost pipe by the use of fishing apparatus of conventional design becomes extremely diflicult, if not impossible, due to the position of the upper end of the pipe beneath the overlying formation which prevents the insertion of the fishing tool.

The present invention has for an important object the provision of a fishing tool for recovering lost objects from a well bore including means for centering the tool relative to the object in the well bore.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fishing tool adapted to be lowered into a well bore and embodying means for positioning the tool in the bore for engagement with a lost pipe therein to connect the lost pipe to the string.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device for recovering lost objects from well bores comprising a fishing tool adapted to be lowered into a well bore on a string of pipe and including means for adjusting the position of the tool laterally in the bore to position the tool for engagement with a lost object therein to connect the tool to the object.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tool of the character mentioned including pressure fluid operable means for adjusting the position of the tool laterally in the well bore to position the tool to be engaged with a lost object to connect the object to the tool.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a tool of the kind referred to having guide means thereon adapted to be inserted in the upper end of a lost pipe in a well bore to guide the tool into the pipe and including means for adjusting the position of the tool laterally in the bore to position the guide means to enter the pipe.

The above and other important objects and advantages of the invention may best be understood from the following detailed description constituting a specification of the same when considered in conjunction with the annexed drawings, Wherein FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view, on a reduced scale, illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention and showing the same in a well bore in position to be engaged with a lost object in the bore;

FIGURE 2A is a fragmentary, vertical, central, crosssectional view showing the upper portion of the tool of the invention as illustrated in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 2B is a fragmentary, vertical, central, crosssectional view showing the lower portion of the tool of the invention as illustrated in FIGURE 1, FIGURE 2B being a downward extension of FIGURE 2A; and

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view, taken along the line 33 of FIGURE 2A, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, the in- Wention is illustrated herein in connection with its use in wells, such as the well W, shown in FIGURE 1, in which a lost object, such as the drill pipe or tubing T is located which is to be recovered from the well.

In the carrying out of operations of this kind a fishing tool of suitable type is customarily employed, which is lowered in the well bore attached to a tubular operating string and connected to the upper end of the lost object so that the object may be removed from the bore with the string. It frequently happens, however, that due to curvature of the bore, cavitation of the formation, or other irregularity, so that the fishing tool cannot be brought into axial alignment with the object and is thus prevented from being connected to the object.

It is for the purpose of overcoming the difficulty of connecting a fishing tool to a lost object in a well bore when the object and tool are out of axial alignment, that the present invention has been designed.

The invention comprises a tubular sub or connector member 10, having at its upper end an internally threaded box portion 12 adapted to be threadably connected to the externally threaded pin portion 14 on the lower end of a jar or other suitable device 16 attached to the lower end of an operating string 18 for rotation with the string. The lower end of the sub 10 is provided with an externally threaded pin 21) or other suitable means, such as a grapple, whereby the sub may be connected to the lost object T to connect the same to the string.

The lower end of the sub 10 is also internally threaded, as indicated at 22, for the attachment thereto of a tubular guide element or stinger 24, of reduced external diameter, whose lower end is for-med with a point 26, formed by cutting off the lower end of the guide member at a sharp angle, as indicated at 28 in FIGURE 23. The pointed portion of the stinger or guide member may be reinforced by an internal plate 30, welded or otherwise secured thereto.

A lateral discharge port 32 is provided in the guide member 24, formed by a tubular insert 34, which may be of hardened material and which is inserted through a lateral opening in the wall of the stinger and welded thereto as indicated at 36 in FIGURE 2B.

Beneath the discharge outlet 32 the stinger is provided with an internal orifice plate 38 having a central restricted opening 40 therethrough, and secured in place in any convenient manner as by means of set screws 42, in the wall of the stinger and whose inner ends extend into suitable recesses in the plate. A seal forming element 44, formed of rubber or the like is seated on the upper surface of the upper plate 38 in position to form a seal between the orifice plate and the inner face of the wall of the stinger, and having a central opening 46 therethrough.

The sub 10 may be provided with a lateral discharge opening 56 in its lower externally threaded end portion, and a lateral discharge opening 48 located above said externally threaded lower end portion, which openings are formed by inserts 52 and 54, similar to the insert 34 of the opening 32. and which may be formed of hardened, wear resisting material, inserted in lateral openings in the sub and secured thereto, as by means of welding or otherwise. The opening 48 may be internally threaded at its 7 outer end, as indicated at 56 to receive a screw plug 58,

by which this opening may be closed if desired.

The sub 10 may, if desired, be provided with one or more external cutter blades 60, positioned to enable the tool to be operated to perform a reaming action upon rotation of the operating string, which blade or blades may be attached to the body of the sub by welding as shown at 62 in FIGURE 3, or by other suitable means. The blades 60 preferably do not project radially outwardly beyond the external periphery of the lost object T, so that when the object includes drill collars used on a drill stem, a wash-over operation can be readily carried out without interference by the reamer blades to recover the drill stem and collars from the well, should such operations be desirable.

In making use of the fishing tool apparatus of the invention, constructed as described above, the sub 10 and stinger 24 are assembled with the jar 16, as illustrated in FIGURE 1, with the discharge outlets 32, 48 and 5t directed radially in the same directions relative to the axis of the tool, and attached to the lower end of the operating string 18.

The tool may then be lowered into the well with the string and oriented therein relative to the lost object T in any well known manner, so that fluid under pressure may be introduced into the string to be discharged laterally through the discharge outlets to move the sub and stinger laterally in the well bore to position the pointed end' of the stinger to enter the open upper end of the object or tubing T to guide the tool into the tubing. It will be apparent that because of the restricted opening 40 of the orifice plate 38 the downward flow of fluid through the stinger is restricted so that fluid will flow out of the discharge openings 32 and 50 with a jet like action to exert a force tending to move the sub and stinger laterally in the well bore toward the side of the bore against which the tubing T is resting, thus aligning the stinger with the open end of the tubing to permit the stinger to enter the tubing upon further downward movement of the tool to guide the externally threaded pin 20 into engagement with the internal threads of the upper end of the tubing T so that the sub may be connected to the tubing by rotation of the string.

Upon connection of the sub to the tubing in this man ner the tubing may then be recovered from the well bore with the string.

When the sub has been connected with the tubing T in the manner described above should it be desired to increase the circulation of fluid through the sub and tubing, then the orifice plate 38 may be knocked out by the use of a suitable tool, such as a line supported weight or the like, to fully open the stinger to permit the unobstructed flow of fluid therethrough. The reamer blade 60 may be used to enlarge the well bore or to ream away any obstruction therein, either before the sub =10 has been coupled to the tubing T or thereafter, as desired.

In the event that additional lateral force is required to move the sub and stinger laterally in the well bore to the desired extent the plug 58 may be removed to provide an additional jet through which fluid under pressure may be discharged to increase the lateral force obtainable.

'It will thus be seen that the invention, constructed and operated in the manner described above, provides a device for recovering pipe or other objects from a well bore, and which may be operated by the pressure of fluid in the operating string to move the tool to a position for connection to the lost object, and which may also be operated to perform a jarring action on the lost object to release the same from the well bore.

The invention has been describedaherein in connection with a certain specific embodiment of the same, but it will be understood that this is intended by way of illustration-only, and that various changes can be made in the construction and arrangement of the various parts withinthe spirit of the invention and the Scope of the appended claims.

Having thus clearly shown and described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device for recovering pipe from wells, the combination with a tubular body adapted to be connected at its upper end to a tubular operating string for lowering with the string in a well bore, tubular guide means on the body shaped for engagement with the upper end of a pipe located in the bore to guide the body into a position in longitudinal alignment with the pipe, said body and guide means having outlets positioned to discharge fluid under pressure from the interior of the body and guide means in the same direction toward the surrounding wall of the bore, means in the guide means located below the outlet in the guide means for restricing the downward flow of fluid through the body and guide means to cause the fluid discharged from said outlets to exert a lateral force on the body and guide means to urge the body and guide means in a direction to position the guide means to enter the pipe upon downward movement of the body in the bore and means on the body positioned for engagement with the pipe upon downward movement of the body with the guide means in guiding engagment with the pipe to connect the body to the pipe, of external cutter means on the body extending radially outwardly from the body in the direction of outflow of said fluid from the body, said body having an uninterrupted, external, peripheral surface extending about the body from one side of said cutter means to the other side thereof.

2. In a device for recovering pipe from wells, the combination with a tubular body adapted to be connected at its upper end to a tubular operating string for lowering with the string in a well bore, tubular guide means on the body shaped for engagement with the upper end of a pipe located in the bore to guide the body into a position in longitudinal alignment with the pipe, said body and guide means having outlets positioned to discharge fluid under pressure from the interior of the body and guide means in the same direction toward the surround ing wall of the bore, means releasably positioned in the guide means below the outlet in the guide means for restricting the downward flow of fluid through the body and guide means to cause the fluid discharged from said outlets to exert a lateral force on the body and guide means in a direction to position the guide means to enter the pipe upon downward movement of the body in the bore and means on the body positioned for engagement with the pipe upon downward movement of the body with the guide means in guiding engagement with the pipe to connect the body to the pipe, of a smooth external peripheral surface formed on the body diametrically opposite said outlets in position for engagement with the surrounding wall and external cutter means on the body extending radially outwardly therefrom opposite said smooth external surface.

3. In a device for recovering pipe from wells, the combination with a tubular body adapted to be connected at its upper end to a tubular operating string for loweringwith the string in a well bore and having an outlet positioned to discharge fluid under pressure from the interior of the body toward the surrounding wall of the bore to urge the body in a direction to position the body in longitudinal alignment with a pipe located in the bore and means for connecting the lower end of the body to the upper end of the pipe, of external cutter means on the body extending radially outwardly therefrom in the direction of outflow of fluid from said outlet, said body having a smooth external surface located diametrically opposite said outlet positioned for engagement with said surrounding wall. 1

4. In a device for recovering pipe from Wells, the combination with a tubular body adapted to be connected at its upper end to a tubular operating string for lowering with the string in a well bore, a tubular guide on the body shaped for engagement with the upper end of a pipe located in the bore to guide the body into a position in longitudinal alignment with the pipe, said guide having an outlet positioned to discharge fluid under pressure from the interior of the toward the surrounding wall of the bore, a tubular liner of hardened, abrasion resistant material in said outlet and extending radially outwardly beyond the external surface of the guide, a weld deposit on the guide surrounding said liner and having an external tapering face coextensive with the outer end surface of the liner, means releasably positioned in the guide below said outlet for restricting the downward flow of tfluid through the guide to cause the fluid discharged from said outlet to exert a lateral force on the guide in a direction to position the guide to enter the pipe upon downward movement of the body with the guide in guiding engagement with the pipe means on the body positioned for engagement with the pipe to connect the body to the pipe, of external cutter means on the body extending radially therefrom in the direction of outflow of fluid from said outlet, said body having a smooth external surface located diametrically opposite said outlet positioned for engagement with said surrounding wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,167,194 Anderson July 25, 1939 2,290,595 Kinnear July 21, 1942 2,333,802 Lowrey Nov. 9, 1943 2,502,567 Howard Apr. 4, 1950 2,609,226 Young Sept. 2, 1952 2,710,170 Livingston et a1 June 7, 1955 2,815,241 Bundy Dec. 3, 1957 2,884,068 Marsee Apr. 28, 1959 2,902,094 Nelson et a1 Sept. 1, 1959 

